COLUM BIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES G«orgc R u p e rt was elected to the position o f leader. H e w as followed by R ich ard Stout and P ro f. A d am Schalles, o f Stockton, Pa. During the latter’s term (in i8 8 S ) the band was incorporated, owing to the necessity o f protecting its property from loss and damage. T he n ext leader w as P ro f. I. O . Boyles, who has been connected with the band since he was a sm all boy, and under him the band has reached its present high position in the musical w orld. T h e hand has received prizes at six county firemen’s coin'cntions, at Bloom s burg, Scranton. M ahanoy C ity, Hazleton, Danville and M ilto n; first prizes at the Red Men's conventions at W illiam sport and Sh am okin; first prizes at the E lk s' conventions at M ahanoy C ity and M ilton, and prizes at the P. 0 . S . 0 1 A . convention at Scranton. T he first quarters of the band w ere in a room o v e r the wagon shop o f Jerem iah Seesholtz. w h ere the Fensterm achcr photograph studio is n o w located. N e xt they located o ver Wilson’s d ru g store, now the L e v y building, and w ere then successively on the third fioor of the o rig in al Jackso n & W oodin building, over the stable of the "W a m c lt H otel” (la te r the " F a ir m a n H otel” ), in the T h iel Pottery building on S ix th street, in the A dam s build ing, now occupied by Sm ith B ro th e rs; in the J . C . F u rm an blacksmith shop, o ver Joseph Faust’s carpen ter shop, on the third floor of the “ M o rio n H ouse,” in the T ow n H all, on Second s t r e e t; and lastly in the brick building belonging to the A m erican C a r and Fou nd ry Company, on M arket street, which they now use free o f rent. The B e rw ic k Ban d, a s it is now called, has a m e m ^ rsh ip o f fifty-five m usicians, and an equipment of the latest make o f instruments. They w e ar blue fatigue uniform s and scarlet and w hite parade dress, and the entire rauipmcnt is valu ed at $8,ooo. T h e present officers are: J . O . B o yles, director and m an ager; Christopher T u bbs, president; W . E . A dam s, sccrcL iry; J . E . F ry, assistant secretary; Harry H aym an, treasurer.
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B erw ick Lodge, N o. 246, I. O . O . F ., w as instituted Ja n . 2 3, 1847, the first members b ein g: Isaiah Bahl, O . H . P . K itchen. A aron Dictterich. Jam e s S . Campbell, Stew art Pearce, G . W, N icely, W illiam B rew er, B . S. Gilm our. A hall w as built by the lodge in 1868 at a cost o f $12,000. W ashin|3on Cam p. N o. 10 5. P . O . S . o f A ., w as established in 1 8 ^, but disbanded in 1878. On Feb. 27, 1880, it was re o r^ n iz e d with the follow ing mcml)cr,s: S . W . Dickson. W . A . R oss, C . A . Croop, S . C . M arteeny, F . R . Kitchen, C . E . R oss, H. C. Learn, F . S . H art man, A nselm Loeb, W ill H . O wen, W . M . H am pshire, Conw ay Dickson. J . U . K u rtz, J . S . H icks, C harles W . F rcas, F . P . H ilt, (Seorge B . K ester, J . C D iclterick, Jo h n W . M orchcad, J . C. Kcedy, I. M . W itm an. M . E . R it tenhouse, W illiam F . R ough, A . J . L earn, F . G . H u ll, J . E . F r y, A . Z . Hcm pfield. In A p ril, 1 8 &, the fine hall now u ^ by the cam p w as first occupied. It w as built by the Odd F ello w s in i 8 w and purchased by the P . O . S . o f A . soon a fte r the fire which par tially destroyed it in 18S0. T h e building w as rebuilt and ts now used fo r meeting purposes and as a location fo r a motion picture theatre. In 19 14 the lodge reached the even figure o f 700 in membership, and w as in exception a lly fine financial condition. T h e officers fo r that ye ar w ere: J . W . M cElw ee, president; G aylord Spangler, vice presiden t: A rth u r Bechtel, m aster o f fo rm s; W alter M iller, con du ctor; Sam uel G arrison, inspector; A dam M iller, g u a rd; C y ru s Sm ith, tru stee; Irvin Spangler, secretary. T h e board o f directors w e re : C . E . R o ss, J . O . E d w ard s, F . R . K itchen, A . N . Sheerer, II. E . Rabcrt, C . J . Cortright, S . L . H ess, G u y H enrie, H . H . Pursel. B e n v ic k L o d g e o f E lk s
B erw ick ’s new lodge o f E lk s has hand som ely furnished club rooms on W est Second street, l l i e large Jo h n W . E v a n s dw elling house has been converted into a home that makes the club ])articularly popular. T h ere is a large gam e room, reading room with SECIl£T SOCIETIES papers, and a pool room. T h e lodge room and B erw ick has more secret and ritualistic the ladies’ parlor are on the second floor. T h e societies than an y other town in Columbia building throughout is finely fitted with m is or M ontour counties. T hese societies include sion furniture and the appointments of the within their circles the most substantial mem meeting room arc particularly fine, being o f bers o f society in (he town and exert a tre hardwood. T h e lodge h.ts been rapidly g ro w mendous influence fo r good throughout the ing in membership and with excellent quarters, community. T h e oldest of the org.inizations a fine location and the high personnel o f its and one of the strongest is the local lodge o f membership prom ises to be an ever-increasing Odd Fellows. factor in the life of the community.
